I love visiting the childhood homes of my Dominican brothers. One reason, among others, is that we always get to see the family pictures decorating their home. Usually, we go straight for the most embarrassing ones—baby pictures, Halloween costumes, and really just about anything from high school. But we also appreciate seeing the photos of family gatherings, holidays, friends, and grandparents. These help teach us who our brother is and where he came from. These are memories enshrined in the home. Moments both good and bad, joyful and somber, formal and comedic all have their place. Pictures have the power to make the significant moments in our lives present again. They draw us into the past and, through them, we bring the past into the present. 

In just a few weeks, we will celebrate the most significant moments in all of human history—the saving mysteries of Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We will remember the Last Supper, the betrayal of Judas, the agony in the garden, the trial, the scourging, the crown. We will recall the cross, the mother, the nails, and the death of all deaths. But we will also remember the cave, the stone, the gardener, and the light. It seems like a tall order, continuing to bring these to mind each year. How can we remember? 

For starters, we might turn to art—paintings, music, or even a well-made movie. We can read spiritual or historical books about our Lord’s Passion or, better yet, reflect on the Scriptures themselves. But the best way to keep these mysteries before us is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is a kind of sacred remembering.

At every Mass, the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ are remembered in a unique way. In the readings and the Gospel, we hear about God’s saving action throughout history. In the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest utters the very words of Jesus on the night before he died. And in the elevated Host, we adore the unblemished lamb who was sacrificed for our redemption. In this way, every Mass evokes both Calvary and the empty tomb. The Mass is a sacred remembering because it brings to our minds the holiest moments of salvation history. 

And yet the Mass is so much more than just a remembering of the past, it really makes those saving events present. The Mass re-presents Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Though Jesus does not suffer anew at each Mass, the flesh that we receive at communion is the same flesh that endured the blows, the whips, and the nails for our sake. At every Holy Communion, we receive the man who is, who was, and who is to come (see Rev 1:8). Each Mass, then, is a reminder of what God has done for us, a reliving of the sacred mysteries, and an invitation to commune with Christ. So, as we prepare to celebrate Holy Week yet again, we can approach each Mass as an opportunity to remember the mysteries and to meet our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

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Image: Diego de La Cruz, The Mass of St. Gregory